My line of work is almost entirely customer service. Yes, there are the technical aspects at play, but 90% of every transaction boils down to the human element. I see happy people, sad people, patient people, angry people, weird people, demented people, prepared people, and people who are so intimidated by the technical aspects of their transactions that they are beside themselves.

I just encountered such a person and I think that really hit me for the first time. Some of these people aren’t mean, angry people. They are intimidated, scared people, who are reacting to their own fears and ignorance, faced with mile long numbers, forms, tick boxes, buttons, and whirlygigs. They don’t know what to do, so when they turn their faces to me, they look like ogres.

I can either choose to react to their upset, or I can choose to be the patient expert and walk them through the ordeal. I like being an expert.